Winemaker Notes
An elegant, full-bodied red which displays dark fruit flavors paired with savory, earthy undertones. Bright acidity and firm tannins make this a versatile food wine.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Botanica Wines 2024 Stellenbosch Big Flower Cabernet Franc incorporates roughly one-third whole-cluster fruit alongside destemmed and crushed fruit, introducing a subtle carbonic lift that brightens the wine’s profile. Notes of cola, raspberry and lavender lead, followed by rosemary, leafy spice and a distinctly botanical quality driven by the whole-cluster component. Light on its feet yet characterful, the wine highlights Cabernet Franc’s natural perfumes and its savory edge.
Cabernet Franc, a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, is the subtler and more delicate of the Cabernets. Today Cabernet Franc produces outstanding single varietal wines across the wine-producing world. Somm Secret—One of California's best-kept secrets is the Happy Canyon appellation of Santa Barbara. Here Cabernet Franc shines as a single varietal wine or in blends, expressing sumptuous fruit, savory aromas and polished tannins.
South Africa’s most famous wine-producing district, Stellenbosch, surrounds the historic town with the same name; fine winemaking here dates back to the late 1600s. Its valleys of granite, sandstone and alluvial loam soils between the towering blue-grey mountains of Stellenbosch, Simonsberg and Helderberg have the capacity to produce beautiful wines from many varieties. The climate is warm Mediterranean, tempered by the cool Atlantic air of nearby False Bay.
Perhaps most well-known for its Pinotage and Bordeaux blends, Stellenbosch also produces noteworthy wines from Syrah, Chenin blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc. The district’s wards—Banghoek, Bottelary, Devon Valley, Jonkershoek Valley, Papegaaiberg, Polkadraai Hills and Simonsberg-Stellenbosch—all produce distinctive wines from vines with relatively low yields.